Costume jewelry and the like



Feb. 7, 1956 TUCKER, 5 2,733,578

COSTUME JEWELRY AND THE LIKE Filed April 7, 1953 United States Patent COSTUME JEWELRY AND THE LIKE George R. Tucker, Sr., Rock Springs, Wye.

Application April 7, 1953, Serial No. 347,273

1 Claim. (CI. 63-29) This invention relates to jewelry, and more particularly to costume jewelry, the principal object of the invention being to provide jewelry having interchangeable ornament members which do not require a body engaging clasp for each ornament member.

Another object of this invention is to provide jewelry of the character described in which the ornament member is readily engaged with a clasp assembly and securely held from displacement with little danger of the member becoming accidentally disengaged from the clasp assembly, but which is easily detachable therefrom.

A further object of the present invention is to provide jewelry of the character described which is adaptable to any type of jewelry which employs ornament members of various miscellany and a basic clasp assembly for each member for supporting the latter on the person of the user.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the presently preferred forms of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of a modified form 'of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view of the same, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the form of the invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5, illustrating the clasp assembly in side elevation.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawing, 1 have shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 one embodiment of the present invention which consists generally of an ornament member 7 and a clasp assembly 8.

Ornament member 7 is provided on its front face with any suitable design 9. Centrally secured to the rear of ornament member 7 is a boss 10 having a recess 11 for purposes which will be hereinafter more fully set out.

Clasp assembly 8 is primarily intended for use in an earring ornament and comprises a U-shaped ear loop 12 having secured to one extremity thereof an internally threaded sleeve 13 for the reception of a threaded shaft 14. Threaded shaft 14 is provided at one end with a knurled adjustment knob 15 and at the other end with an ear-engaging disc 16. The other extremity of U-shaped ear loop 12 is provided with a stationary ear-engaging disc 17.

Referring now to Fig. 3, ear loop 12 is engaged with a connector 18 which in turn has secured thereto a bifurcated spring clip 19, the latter including a pair of spring rods 20 which normally extend in parallel relation. The free ends of the rods are bowed, as indicated at 21, to urge their extremities into engagement with the rear wall 2,133,578 Patented Feb. 7, 1956 of the ornament 7 when the clip assembly is in use, as

shown in Figs. 2 and 3. To attach clasp. assembly 8 to ornament 7, the rods 20 are passed through recess 11 in the boss 10. When the spring clip is urged into engagement with the ornament, the free ends of the clip are flexed together as shown in Fig. 2, the free ends of the terminals, as already set forth, engage with the back of the ornament and the outer surfaces of the clip snugly engage with the wall of the recess 11, as advantageously shown in Fig. 3. In addition the boss 10 of the ornament is encompassed by and frictionally engaged with the disc 17 of the clasp assembly. In this way a multipoint frictional engagement of the clasp assembly 8 and ornament member 9 is effected to prevent accidental disengagement of the ornament and assembly. However, disengagement is effected with facility at the option of the user.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 there is shown a modified form of the present invention comprising an ornament member 7 and clasp assembly 8. Ornament member 7' is provided with any suitable design 9 on its front face and with a boss 22 on its rear face. The boss is provided with a socket 23, as illustrated in Fig. 6.

Clasp assembly 8 comprises a U-shaped ear loop 12' which is provided at one extremity with an internally threaded sleeve 13' for the reception of a threaded shaft 14. Threaded shaft 14 is provided at one end with a knurled adjustment knob 15 and at the other end with an ear-engaging disc 16'. The other extremity of U-shaped ear loop 12 is provided with an enlarged stationary ear-engaging disc 24. Secured to the back of disc 24 is a plate 25 which carries a concentric stud 26.

To attach clasp assembly 8 with ornament member 7', stud 26 is inserted into ornament member socket 23 whereby the head of stud 26 is prevented from moving by the complemental walls of socket 23.

While I have herein shown the device of the present invention as applied to earrings, it is to be understood that such has been done for purposes of illustration only and that the same may be applied to all types of jewelry which employ an ornament member secured to a clasp assembly.

What I claim is:

An article of jewelry comprising an ornament member with front and rear faces, a portion of the rear face being enlarged to provide a boss having a recess therein, and a detachable clasp assembly engaged with said boss, said assembly including a U-shaped member, a disc connected to one terminal of said member, a pair of normally parallel spring rods mounted on the base of said u shaped member and extending substantially parallel to the terminal carrying the disc, the disc and the spring rods being so distanced as to frictionally engage the boss, the spring rods being spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the width of the boss recess and adapted to pass through the recess to flex said rods towards each other upon frictional engagement with the side walls of the recess, the free ends of the rods being bowed into engagement with the rear face of said ornament member to force said rods against an end wall of the recess, the assembly also including a connector joining said spring rods to said U-shaped member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,433,711 Schober Dec. 30, 1947 2,530,432 Imowicz Nov. 21, 1950 2,550,828 Lawson May 1, 1951 2,586,787 Conto et al Feb. 26, 1952 

